A Dangerous Pastime I Know
by Vashti
Summary: Oz is contemplating the moon while walking to some friends' house


Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and whole lot of other folks own BTVS and A:TS stuff. I'm a lowly po' college student. 

Distribution: Fire & Ice Archive, my website. Anyone else just ask. 

Feedback: It's lovely stuff, really. Truly I enjoy it as much as it enjoys you 

Dedication: Duh! To Amz and Karen from the OzMIA list. 

Author's Note: Amz and Karen appear without quite knowing why. I just love their writing so much I had to give them a little something by way of thanks. Anyway, if it doesn't sound like them that's my fault, not theirs. 

§§§ 

A Dangerous Pastime 

"LaFou I'm afraid I've been thinking." 

"A dangerous pastime--" 

"I know..." From Disney's _Beauty and The Beast_

§§§ 

Light flashing from a dark window caught Oz's eye. Instinctively his eyes sought its source. The full moon shone brightly on him and -- if not for the City's lights -- the world through which he passed. 

He knew in a way that no one else could that it was beginning to wane. If he stared hard enough, long enough, he would see the small sliver just sheared from it's right side. But he didn't, he probably wouldn't, he simply knew. 

Passing another row of apartments on his journey down the hill from the train station to Karen's the moon winked at him from dark windows drawing Oz's eyes to her. He stared at it for a long moment as he walked then pulled his eyes away and slipped his back-phones onto his ears. Flicking the radio on with his thumb he caught the very beginning of Gavin Rosdale's oddly melodic voice. Oz wasn't the biggest Bush fan but respected a band that weathered the death of grunge, screaming girls throwing themselves at them and The Return of Pop. Since The Dingoes Ate My Baby didn't qualify for two out of three -- or really three out of three since they hadn't survived each other -- he didn't even try placing them in the same sphere. 'Though it was fun to speculate in a unrealistic way. 

"_Who is it?_" 

"Oz." 

_Buzzzz._

Oz threw his bag into a corner and flopped on the couch. Gratefully accepting a glass of water, "So next apartment, elevator right?" he wondered aloud. 

"What you don't like the stairs?" Karen asked. 

He shrugged. "It's not always a plus. Besides, stairs, where's the novelty in that?" 

"Oz is right," the woman sitting beside him agreed. 

"Amz says it's right." 

"So that's the final word on it?" Karen asked. 

Amz and Oz shared a glance. "Ask Christina, this was her place first, right?" Amz nodded. "Hey, Chris!" 

Another girl poked her head around the wide open doorway of the kitchen. "What? There is no snackage yet, get over it. Pigs!" 

"Not snacks, we're having a vote. Although," he said slowly, thinking, "a beer and pretzels wouldn't be bad." 

"Oz!" the three girls exclaimed. 

He looked at them in turn. "What? I'm a guy." 

"Enough already. What'm I voting on? And why are we voting anyway?" 

"Whether or not the next apartment should have an elevator because stairs aren't . . . What'd you say Oz?" 

"Novelty?" 

"Yeah. So, old boring stairs out, new interesting elevators in. What say?" 

"New interesting elevators." 

Amz turned to Karen. "That's three against one." 

"Wait," Oz spoke up, "shouldn't we have quorum or something?" Once again he found himself the center of their attention. "Quorum, the number of people you need to vote something in?" 

"Uh," Karen answered for them, "we're the only ones who live here Oz. You come to watch our TV." 

"Not that we mind," Amz clarified. 

"No, not at all." 

"Nuh uh," Christina called from the kitchen. " 'Kay, junk food's on." There was a cheer from the living room. "Don't you all go spending it in one place." They looked at her curiously. "I'm sorry, I couldn't think of something wittier, so sue me," she said flopping next to Karen. 

"So, what do you think of Willow this season?" 

The three women looked at each other around Oz. How were they supposed to answer this one? "Uh, help in the kitchen?" 

"Kitchen help!" Karen and Amz jumped up ready to latch onto Christina's lame excuse. "Jeez, what do we tell him?" Amz shrugged, Christina opened and shut her mouth completely out of ideas. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I mean we can't be honest, can we?" 

"Karen, you're the queen of honesty. Brutal honesty. And Chris, what happened to your evil laughter. And me?! What about my flippancy and sarcastic wit?! By golly gee we'll tell him. We'll lay down the law and tell him what a skank-ho Willow has become. Besides, that hair?" Amz shuddered. 

Rallied by her talk the women stormed out of the kitchen ready to unleash hell -- sans the blood and gore and flaming arrows. Oz looked up from the television. "You know, she used to be pretty nice. Things are different." He turned back to the screen. 

"That's only the half of it," Karen only half mumbled. Amz elbowed her in the ribs. "Hey!" 

Suddenly he looked up. "There's something wrong here." 

The women looked at each other. "What? What's wrong?" 

"Why am I here?" 

"Uh, to watch TV? Why are you ever here, it can't be for the food?" 

Wrinkling his eyebrows he stood, "Where do I know you guys from?" 

Amz grabbed Karen's hand behind her back. Christina whispered into his ear, "He's forgetting!" 

"So we make him remember." 

Oz approached them cautiously, feeling the wolf within him raise its hackles. "What're you guys whispering about." 

"Jeez, Oz," Karen said pushing him gently back into the couch, "paranoid much?" Kissing his lips softly she murmured, "You belong here." 

"Yes," Amz said, kissing his closed eyes, "you belong here." 

"Oh yes," Christina whispered, kissing his forehead, "you belong here." 

They stepped away from him, watching Oz's closed eyes intently. Much to softly for any of them to hear he whispered, "I belong here," and opened his eyes. "Chris, snackage?" 

She smiled brightly, "On it's way." 

Amz and Karen sat on either side. "So," Karen asked, "what's the title of this episode?" 

Fin   
  



End file.
